Thinksources

Most of the books or chapters in our growing library are available for sharing upon request. Let us know if anything in particular interests you and we’ll be happy to send it your way for a three-week loan.

There is more to life than the cold numbers of GDP and economic statistics – This Index allows you to compare well-being across regions, based on 11 topics the OECD has identified as essential, in the areas of material living conditions and quality of life.

This report builds on six prior State New Economy Indexes published in 1999, 2002, 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2012. The purpose of the Index is to measure the economic structure of states. Unlike some other reports which assess state economic performance or state economic policies, this report focuses more narrowly on a simple question: to what degree does the structure of state economies match the ideal structure of the New Economy?

The annual County Health Rankings measure vital health factors, including high school graduation rates, obesity, smoking, unemployment, access to healthy foods, the quality of air and water, income, and teen births in nearly every county in America. The annual Rankings provide a revealing snapshot of how health is influenced by where we live, learn, work and play. The site is a collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.

We pinpoint where employment is stable and expanding, wages and salaries are increasing, and economies and businesses are thriving. Armed with this knowledge, businesses, investors, industry associations, development agencies and government officials, academics, and public-policy groups can assess, monitor, and gain insight into each metro’s performance relative to the rest. We also provide benchmarking data that can inform approaches to improving a region’s performance.

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation was established in the mid-1960s by the late entrepreneur and philanthropist Ewing Marion Kauffman. Our vision is to foster “a society of economically independent individuals who are engaged citizens, contributing to the improvement of their communities.” In service of this vision, we focus our grant making and operations on two areas—education and entrepreneurship—which our founder, Ewing Kauffman, saw as two ends of a continuum. A quality education is the foundation for self-sufficiency, preparing young people for success in college and in life.

The Center’s mission is to be the national, value-added resource for rural communities and regions, and their states, interested in building more sustainable economic development frameworks around entrepreneurship.

What They’re Saying

Our partnership with Thinkspot continues to grow because of the shared belief that communities must drive their own futures. This philosophy is integrated into a refreshing approach from data-driven analysis to dynamic facilitation that promises to deliver comprehensive and actionable strategies.